Matheesha Pathirana could be better than Lasith Malinga: Scott Styris

Four-time Champions Chennai Super Kings have been in good form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, with some impressive batters in their side, the side does have plenty of talent in their bowling attack as well. With the likes of Akash Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, and many more, the four-time champions have been pushing a strong case for playoff qualifications as well.

Matheesha Pathirana has been putting in some promising performances for Chennai in the IPL 2023. In the six matches that he has played so far, the 20-year-old has picked up seven wickets. His performances for the four-time champions made former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris take notice of his abilities. 

The 47-year-old opined that Pathirana could go on to become an even better pacer than the legendary Lasith Malinga. Styris even reflected on the fact that Malinga was at the top of his game only for three or four years of his career.

"I think Pathirana could be better than Malinga. I accept that it's a massive call because he's too early in his career. He's not as accurate as Malinga yet, but Malinga was at his best when he was bowling at 145 kph. And he only had about three or four years where that was the case," Scott Styris told JioCinema.

"When he had that speed, and then the change-ups came, you had to respect that pace. When his top speed was down to 135, you could probably look at the slower ball more and react to the yorkers," he added.

He hits the yorkers pretty well: Styris

Despite being just 20 years old, Pathirana has been quite accurate with his deliveries for Chennai at the ongoing T20 carnival. Reflecting over the same, Styris opined that the 20-year-old could go on to become a big asset for Sri Lanka in the future.

"What we've seen with Pathirana is that he's bowling at 145, 146, and 148 kph, so he has that natural advantage. He hits the yorkers pretty well. As he naturally evolves and gets more experience, he can hit those yorkers with that action as much as Malinga, but with a quicker speed and the ability for change-ups. He's an exciting talent for Sri Lanka and an exciting talent for CSK," Styris said.